KTS Ch 3
by soapa“Woojung.”
“…….”
“Cheon Woojung!”
“…Huh?”
“What’s with you, you look like a person who’s completely spaced out.”
Seo Dowon tilted his head and looked at Woojung.
“Well, it’s true that the third day is the toughest part. Even if you wanted to run out, this place is surrounded by the sea, so you can’t even do that.”
Seo Dowon clicked his tongue, tsk tsk, and put his arm on Woojung’s shoulder. The two of them stuck close together and walked down the long guest room corridor. On his way home from work, Woojung’s steps were very tired. He had been walking while looking only at the diamond pattern of the carpet, and before he knew it, he was in front of Seo Dowon’s guest room.
“You’re on the afternoon shift from tomorrow too, right?”
“Yeah, why?”
“No, it’s just a shame to go to sleep.”
Uncharacteristically, Seo Dowon scratched his temple, glanced back at Woojung, and spoke as he lowered his hand from his shoulder.
“Should we have a drink before we sleep? I have beer in my room.”
Woojung nodded his head in agreement. With his thoughts so complicated, he did not think he would be able to fall asleep right away.
“Then I’ll just go change my clothes and come over.”
“Okay, got it.”
Woojung returned to his guest room.
He took out a yellow hoodie and took off his vest. Even though he had not touched a single bill from the bundle of money that was on the table of room 1601, as many as thirty-one 50,000 won bills had fallen out of his vest.
The safe was full of crumpled money. It was the first time in his life he had ever earned this much money in such a short period of time.
He thought he would feel good when the amount of money piled up, but that was not necessarily the case. Instead, he suddenly became scared. It felt as if the pitch black safe would grab and swallow him and slam its door shut.
Woojung, who had changed into the yellow hoodie, headed for Seo Dowon’s guest room as if he were running away.
As soon as he knocked, the door swung open. Dowon, dressed in a white short-sleeved t-shirt, grabbed Woojung’s wrist and led him into the room.
“Come in.”
Seo Dowon’s space was thick with the feeling of daily life. The sight of it, filled with all sorts of things like a goshiwon room that had been lived in for a long time, approached Woojung in a very friendly way.
“Ah… there’s nowhere to sit. Just sit anywhere.”
Seo Dowon turned his body sideways to move out of the way. At the end of that space was a bed. After hesitating for a moment, Woojung sat down with his back against the base of the bed and tilted his beer. Seo Dowon sat down next to him.
Maybe because he sat down after standing all day, his legs felt heavy. Without realizing it, Woojung patted his tingling legs. Seo Dowon, who had been glancing at him, rummaged through a desk drawer and took something out. Then he tossed it onto Woojung’s thigh.
“What’s this?”
“Is it a patch you put on when your legs hurt? It gets better if you put it on the soles of your feet and your calves. Wash up later and put it on before you sleep.”
“…Can I have it?”
“What are you talking about. I’m giving it to you to use, you idiot.”
Can you make friends even after you’re over twenty? For a moment, Woojung had that thought.
“I’ll use it well.”
Seo Dowon turned his head in the opposite direction from Woojung and scratched the back of his neck.
“I’m drinking your beer, and I’m receiving this too, what should I do.”
“…It’s not like it’s anything great.”
Woojung had not brought anything, so he did not have anything suitable to give. I should buy Seo Dowon a meal if I see him outside. To do that, there was something he absolutely had to say right now.
“Hey, Dowon.”
“Yeah?”
“Actually, there’s something I lied to you about.”
“You? Lied?”
“Yeah….”
“Is he drunk? What are you talking about so suddenly.”
Seo Dowon asked, laughing as if it were nothing.
“What is it?”
“…I’m actually an omega.”
Pfft, the beer he was drinking trickled down Seo Dowon’s chin. Woojung handed him a roll of toilet paper that was by his head.
“Ah, geez, you scared me.”
“S-Sorry. Are you okay?”
“You said you were a beta!”
“…….”
“I thought something was strange. You were too… for a beta. There’s such a thing as a person’s intuition.”
Seo Dowon coughed for a long time. While doing so, he haltingly spat out words like ‘You shouldn’t do that, that’s the most surprising thing this year, how dare you crawl in here without any fear, fuck,’ and glared at Woojung.
Woojung said, ‘…You said your puberty was over,’ and sat a little farther away from Seo Dowon.
A moment of silence flowed between the two.
“Be careful. There are a lot of crazy bastards here.”
“…Yeah.”
Why, at this moment, was Sa Gongjun coming to mind? Woojung placed his palm on his waist where Sa Gongjun’s arm had touched and rubbed it a couple of times.
Fortunately, even after hearing Woojung’s confession, Seo Dowon treated him casually. Since alphas and omegas who became adults were skilled at controlling their pheromones, there was not really anything that would be a problem.
For a while, they talked about trivial things, like how this or that passenger acted. Then, when they ran out of things to talk about, the room would become quiet again. Strangely, Woojung did not feel uncomfortable with that silence. Miraculously, just by being in the same space, he felt like he was getting much closer to Seo Dowon.
“Woojung.”
“Yeah.”
Seo Dowon, who was letting his arm hang down on the floor and spacing out, called to Woojung.
“How is it, now that you’ve worked for a few days.”
Woojung thought deeply. The work was not difficult. The commute was short, so there were no transportation expenses, and no food expenses either. And the people here gave him a lot of tips.
The problem was the money Sa Gongjun had given him.
To Woojung,
1.55 million won, which was equal to two months of interest,
and equal to four months of living expenses,
and equal to one third of his tuition.
The tip he received from Sa Gongjun in 30 minutes was money that Woojung could barely get his hands on only after working hard for two months.
Woojung chugged a can of beer. The beer can, which he had gripped tightly, crumpled.
“…I don’t know.”
Seo Dowon looked at Woojung and smiled. As he bowed his head and looked down at the beer can, his expression vanished.
Seo Dowon, who had climbed onto the bed, leaned his back against the wall and sat with his knees up. He looked out the window facing the sea and muttered as if to himself.
“Don’t you feel like you’ve come to a strange country?”
Woojung nodded his head. Seo Dowon took out two more cans of beer from the mini-fridge. Chk, soon, only the gulping sound of the two of them swallowing was heard.
“Woojung.”
“Yeah.”
Dowon stretched his legs out and tilted his head back. Woojung also pressed his forehead against the edge of the bed and leaned his body against it.
“Should I tell you a secret too?”
“What?”
“Next week, it’ll be exactly one year since I started working with this company. How much do you think I’ve saved?”
Just as Woojung twisted his body to look up at Seo Dowon, his cell phone rang. Seo Dowon stared intently at his phone, then cleared his throat.
“Just a moment, let me get this call.”
Do-re-mi-fa-sol. Sol.
Seo Dowon’s voice, which had been serious until just a moment ago, rose exactly that much, and his speed also quickened. For a short while, a series of questions followed: what did you do today, did you eat, did you wash up. After that, Seo Dowon did not say much. The other person’s mumbling leaked out of the cell phone. It was the man called Director Yoon, whom he had also seen at the standard lounge.
Woojung was a little surprised. He had only thought the two were acquainted and greeted each other at the lounge; he really had not known they contacted each other by phone like this.
Are they a couple?
But what could Seo Dowon possibly be lacking?
Woojung shook his head and shook off the thought. Whether they were a couple or not, it was none of his business.
“Director,” Dowon trailed off and stood up from his spot. The way he was rummaging through the closet with his phone wedged between his shoulder and cheek looked like he was about to leave. Woojung put the empty beer cans in the trash can and headed for the entrance.
Seo Dowon asked with his lips.
“Leaving?”
“Yeah, I’m sleepy… see you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
It seemed right to let the matter of how much he had earned on the cruise remain buried.
After arriving at his room, Woojung washed his body, washed his shirt too, and jumped into bed bare-skinned.
He was very tired. The events that had continued from morning until evening poked at Woojung’s mind. At times like this, sleeping was the best thing to do.
Woojung buried his face in the soft pillow and closed his eyes. He moved his arms and legs, rubbing his body against the soft blanket. He planned to enjoy the life here, which only had a few days left, to the fullest.
🌸
The hall of the VIP lounge was quiet.
The passengers staying in the luxury guest rooms preferred to sit on the terraces attached to their rooms and eat while looking at the sea, rather than coming down to the lounge to have their meals.
While working here, Woojung did every task without exception. If the hall was busy, he helped with serving, and if deliveries were backed up, he went to deliver room service instead. He was worried that he might end up going to room 1601 for room service, but fortunately, that did not happen.
He was guiding passengers entering the hall and waiting in front of a pillar so as not to disturb them. The automatic doors of the VIP lounge opened and a man came in. He was a person with such a superior physique that his firmness could be felt even when his body was covered by a white linen shirt and black pants—it was Sa Gongjun.
The passengers and staff in the lounge observed Sa Gongjun. Whether he intended it or not, he had a powerful magnetism that drew the attention of others.
Unconcerned with his surroundings, Sa Gongjun scanned the interior.
Woojung hid his stiff expression and turned his back, pretending not to see. He did not know what kind of expression he should use to greet the man who had raised his hand without hesitation and kneaded his chest.
Another staff member who was nearby moved quickly and approached Sa Gongjun.
Sa Gongjun ignored the staff member and walked. Then he sat down at an empty table that was close to Woojung.
Woojung fidgeted with the edge of the menu and reluctantly approached him.
“…Hello.”
“We meet again.”
Neat attire and a proper greeting. Outside the guest room, Sa Gongjun was an ordinary passenger.
“I’d like to have a cup of tea.”
Woojung handed one of the menus he was holding in his arm to Sa Gongjun. While he was choosing a menu item, and as Woojung was lifting a water pitcher to pour it into a glass cup, he felt a sharp gaze from Sa Gongjun.
“…….”
“…….”
Sa Gongjun stared at Woojung’s cuffs.
Thanks to that, Woojung examined his own sleeves, which he had never paid attention to before. Because he had worn the same shirt for the entire three years he attended high school, the ends of the sleeves were worn and frayed.
Woojung placed the water pitcher down on the tray and wrapped one hand around his wrist. As he took a step back, an expressionless face scanned Woojung from head to toe.
Sa Gongjun snatched Woojung’s wrist, which kept moving away. Pulling the wrist right in front of his eyes, he turned it at various angles and examined Woojung’s cuffs. One of his eyebrows shot up.
Could it be that my poverty has crossed over to him through the stream of water? His expression was filled with displeasure.
“Did you pick up and wear something someone threw away?”
Since he had received and worn a school uniform that someone had left behind, it was not an entirely incorrect statement. Still, he had never thought it was shameful. In front of the man who seemed to lack nothing, Woojung felt his own appearance become shabby for the first time.
A few 50,000 won bills were placed on the table. A rough glance showed it looked to be several hundred thousand won.
“Go downstairs and buy yourself a shirt.”
“…….”
“Do you not understand what I’m saying? Take it.”
As Woojung hesitated, Sa Gongjun muttered in a voice that had become one notch lower.
“Should I stuff it back into your clothes for you?”
“N-No….”
The thought that Sa Gongjun might actually be able to do that flashed through his mind. Just as he was about to take the money before he exhibited any more strange behavior, Sa Gongjun let out a short breath and said.
“Did I not tell you that to exhibit one’s poverty is to reveal one’s own incompetence.”
Woojung lifted his head as if he had been hooked by something.
“Are you the type who only understands when I have to say it this directly?”
Sa Gongjun coolly scanned Woojung from head to toe. Something surged up, and his insides felt hot. Like a coarse fire spreading to his body, an impulse arose in an instant.
“In the end, it was you who saw that exhibition and proposed a deal to me.”
By the time he came to his senses, he had already spat out the words in a flat tone. His sharp eyes held a smile, as if he had seen something amusing. Sa Gongjun casually retorted to Woojung’s words.
“You know how to snap back, too.”
If he had his way, he would have liked to splash the glass of water he had poured on him.
“Those are not eyes that understand words well.”
It was while they were having that untimely staring contest. The section chief, who had been looking around nearby, came running over out of breath. It was because he misunderstood that Woojung had made some kind of mistake. To Woojung’s eyes, he looked excessively pale.
“I’m sorry, this is his first time here….”
“The staff training is a complete mess.”
“I will correct it. I’m truly sorry. What are you doing, Mr. Cheon Woojung.”
The section chief brought his hand to the back of Woojung’s head and made him bow along with him. Mixed in were apologies like, I’m sorry, I’ll do better next time. For a long time, Woojung apologized, not knowing what it was directed towards.
“That’s enough, so you can go.”
Woojung, who was dragged to a corner, was scolded a little by the section chief. And he listened to a long speech about the mindset of a staff member and the spirit of the age of the cruise.
Things like that did not matter.
Woojung, left alone, raised both hands and looked at his wrists. He could not forget Sa Gongjun’s gaze as he had stared at his cuffs.
Woojung crouched down in the hallway and cried. If someone were to ask what was so hard that he was crying when he came here to earn money and was earning a lot of it, he would have had nothing to say.
He washed his face in the bathroom and rubbed his damp cheeks dry. He looked in the mirror, then folded both sleeves inward. The sleeves ended up looking a little ridiculous, but he thought it was better than enduring Sa Gongjun’s displeased expression.
Let’s go back as if nothing happened. Let’s think of it as dealing with the most difficult customer I’ve ever encountered in all the part-time jobs I’ve ever had.
When Woojung, who had composed himself several times, came out to the hall again, Sa Gongjun had already left his seat.
🌸
From then on, Woojung started to avoid Sa Gongjun.
Breakfast, teatime, dinner.
He avoided all room service related to room 1601.
The next time Woojung encountered Sa Gongjun was when he was disembarking from the cruise. As he was walking toward the bridge leading to the shore, feeling the cold wind, he felt someone’s presence.
The person who approached Woojung’s side was Sa Gongjun. Wearing dress shoes and a full suit in a dark gray tone, he felt even more intimidating than when he was in casual attire inside the cruise ship.
Startled, Woojung took a step back and then stopped. It was because his path had overlapped with Sa Gongjun’s companion, who was also preparing to disembark.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
It was a mystery why he, who had boarded as a passenger, was disembarking with the staff, but more than that, his heart pounded like crazy because it felt like all the moments he had run away had been for nothing.
“Looks like we’re getting off now.”
Sa Gongjun’s gaze was directed toward Woojung’s chest. His backpack was full of cash, so he was wearing it on his front, and Sa Gongjun’s gaze was one that said, what on earth is that again.
Woojung readjusted his backpack and turned around first. He did not say goodbye either. His part-time job was over now, and there was no longer any need to be mindful of Sa Gongjun—that is what he believed.
Sa Gongjun came up next to Woojung.
“It seems you’ve chosen your pride.”
“…Even if I work for someone, I want to do it with a person who shows courtesy to the other party.”
“True, I’m not the kind of guy who is refined and courteous.”
“…….”
“Seeing you being picky about this and that while looking for money, it doesn’t seem like you’re in that much of a hurry either, Mr. Cheon Woojung.”
Sa Gongjun tilted his head to the side and looked at Woojung. He was wearing an ankle-length puffy padded jacket, zipped up to below his neck, and had the hood attached to his yellow hoodie pulled over his head.
A large hand covered Woojung’s head. Sa Gongjun, who was pressing down on the small head that fit in one hand, suddenly whipped off the yellow hood.
“Ah!”
Woojung, who had been walking while looking only forward, finally turned his head to look up at Sa Gongjun. An air of elegance was felt from his well-defined and neat appearance. Unlike in the guest room, he had his hair swept back, revealing his forehead, and boasted an unrivaled presence among the people waiting to disembark the cruise.
His outside looks fine, but his inside is a little… Woojung, who was thinking that, pulled the hood back over his head.
“I hope you do not regret that choice.”
He worries about everything. Replying any further was also tiring. Woojung let out a short breath and disembarked from the cruise just like that.
The fierce winter sea breeze dug into the nape of Woojung’s neck. Woojung put on the hood attached to his padded jacket and walked briskly. There was nothing to be afraid of. If he thought about the money in his backpack now, the 910,000 won from his part-time job that would soon come in, and the new money he would earn in the future, he could surely last for six months.
He walked for a long time after getting away from Incheon Port. There was a shuttle bus that the cruise staff rode, but he could not use it in his capacity as a part-time worker. He had to tag his access card when getting on the bus, but the access card used by part-time workers was not recognized.
With the cold so intense that his toes felt numb, Woojung finally realized that he had returned to reality.
He glanced back for a moment. The cruise ship he had been on for a week was still emitting a warm light.
Woojung turned back in the direction he was originally going. He intended to leave behind all the strange conversations, the tips, and the people from the past week. Woojung was not so young as to not know that his current steps were his last chance to escape from this place.
A bus stop was visible in the distance.
<Out of Service>
Woojung, who had checked the bus’s electronic display, plopped down onto the bench. It was a situation where he might have to wait for just a moment if he was lucky, or for thirty minutes if he was unlucky.
A few black sedans passed on the 10-lane road. Woojung watched the passenger cars, then checked to see if there were any buses following after them.
Woojung sat on the empty road for 40 minutes. Then, after riding for two hours and transferring to a village bus for another 20 minutes, he was finally able to arrive at his goshiwon.
He organized his bag first. He took out the clothes he had worn for the past few days and put them in the shared washing machine, and took out the roll of toilet paper that had been underneath and stacked it on one side of his desk.
Then he sat on the floor. He began to sort the paper money he had brought wrapped in a short-sleeved t-shirt. Dollars and Korean won, then side by side by denomination.
The 910,000 won from his part-time job was scheduled to be deposited into his bank account, and besides that, the cash that had fallen into his possession was a whopping 3,550,000 won and 520 dollars.
He was bewildered. Was money earned this easily? Woojung even slapped his cheek to see if this was a dream. Seeing as he felt the stinging sensation, it did not seem to be a dream.
He unfolded a paper bag, put the money in neatly, and hid it under the desk. Just then, he saw a palm-sized piece of paper rolling around on the floor.
What is this.
He clutched the paper and examined it up close. A wave-shaped logo and signature. It was a memo pad that Woojung had seen countless times while working his part-time job as a cruise staff member.
Did it get caught somewhere and come along….
The moment he then turned the memo over, he was startled. Sa Gongjun’s name and phone number were written on it.
Woojung crumpled the paper and threw it into the trash can. He had only thought he had stuffed money into his chest; he had no idea he had put something like this in there as well.
“…….”
He glanced at the trash can and stood up from his spot. In any case, he was a person he would never see again.
🌸
He opened his goshiwon desk drawer and took out one packet of ramen. After boiling the ramen in the shared kitchen and finishing every last drop of the broth, Woojung brushed his teeth and immediately returned to his bed.
“Ugh, my feet are cold.”
Woojung turned on a hairdryer inside his blanket and searched for part-time jobs while hugging a PET bottle filled with warm water.
Perhaps because the vacation season had started, it was difficult to find a position. Not to mention part-time jobs at convenience stores, fast-food restaurants, or large supermarkets. The places he thought were good had no openings posted, and if a spot happened to open up, the competition was fierce.
There were job postings. But the problem was that getting accepted was unusually difficult. Woojung, who had lowered his standards, lowered them, and lowered them again, began to rummage through even the daily part-time jobs. All the way to flyer part-time jobs and mascot costume part-time jobs.
It has never been this hard before….
Woojung rolled around and around on his bed. Every time he did, a creaking, creaking sound was made. He let out a long sigh and stopped abruptly. Thanks to his head falling off the edge of the mattress, his vision was turned upside down. The overturned trash can also came into view.
Is it because the world looks upside down that my thoughts have also gone crazy?
Woojung scrambled up onto the bed and pulled the covers over himself. He must have lost his mind after getting a taste of money.
Woojung tried to focus his mind on his palm-sized cell phone. For about thirty minutes, he steeled his resolve and searched for part-time jobs again. There were still no suitable places.
He checked his balance on his banking application. At the end of this month, after he sent the loan interest payment, paid the goshiwon room fee, and paid the upcoming first-semester tuition, his living expenses for the next semester would be tight.
He had decided not to look back. But he kept thinking about his previous part-time job. That place, where the daily wage was 130,000 won and tips of 200,000 won came in, flickered in his mind. The sound of Seo Dowon asking, how much do you think I earned, also lingered in his ears.
If I do the cruise part-time job just one more time, I can save up enough for a semester’s living expenses… then my grades will improve too, and maybe I can do the tutoring part-time job again next semester….
Woojung, lying face down on his seat, looked through his past application history. Unfortunately, there were no active cruise staff recruitments.
“…….”
After rolling around on the bed, he looked at the trash can again in the same position.
The upside-down desk, the upside-down chair, the upside-down door.
Myself, upside down in a small, upside-down world.
Woojung reached out his hand and fished out the memo.
An interpretation job in Filipino seems like it might be possible.
No, I’m more confident than anyone else.
‘Are you interested in using that mouth of yours for me a bit, and taking my money, Mr. Cheon Woojung.’
“…Mouth….”
Woojung closed his eyes and tried to calm his pounding heart.
“…No. Not this way.”
He gripped and released his cell phone in his other hand several times. Woojung threw the memo somewhere under the desk.
🌸
Thud, the empty drawer made a loud noise. So the ramen I ate yesterday was the last one. Woojung crumpled up the lone remaining 5+1 wrapper and put it in the trash. He opened the drawer below just in case, but it was the same.
I’ve never been out of work for this long before….
It was unexpected that he would not be able to find a single decent part-time job for several weeks. The moment he saw the debt collection text message that had arrived at the beginning of the month, his mind went blank. The money he was going to use for next semester’s tuition was under his desk, but he did not want to use that money, of all things.
So for a few days, he pretended he had not seen the text message. Woojung hesitated until lunchtime on the very day he was supposed to send the interest payment. If he paid the interest with that money, he would not receive the loan sharks’ collection texts, but Woojung would be forced to take a leave of absence from school.
He still had not decided.
“…What should I do….”
Even in the midst of the serious situation, he was hungry. After contemplating for a moment, Woojung changed his clothes and went out the door. He was thinking of going to the supermarket to buy just a little something to eat right away.
As he passed through the narrow hallway and came down the first-floor stairs, someone snatched the nape of Woojung’s neck.
“…Ah.”
“This fucking bastard….”
A hand flew at his cheek without warning. Woojung crouched his body, but he could not avoid his hand.
“Why the hell aren’t you answering your phone when you’re at home, for fuck’s sake.”
The loan shark grabbed the nape of Woojung, who was sprawled in the corner of the stairs, and climbed the stairs. Thud, thud, the corners of the steps painfully hit below Woojung’s calves.
“The lights were off for a few days, did you go somewhere nice?”
“…….”
“Find it.”
An uninvited guest entered Woojung’s small room.
“Ah…. Mister. Mister.”
Thwack, this time a fist flew into his solar plexus. Huk, letting out a sound, Woojung could neither breathe in nor out as he clutched his stomach and curled up his body.
“If you ignore my calls.”
“Hah, heuh….”
“I get my ass kicked by the boss.”
Woojung crawled under the desk. Then, this time, a dress shoe came flying.
“If I get my ass kicked at my fucking age, how do you think I’d feel.”
“Ugh, heuk.”
“Why is there no answer. Huh? You don’t know? Fuck, get your ass kicked until you do.”
Even while being beaten, Woojung glanced behind his back.
The other loan shark, who was searching the small room as if with a fine-toothed comb, quickly noticed. He dragged Woojung out and threw him in front of the door. Then he bent his waist and went under the desk.
“Ah, you can’t.”
“What’s this.”
They had no trouble finding the money Woojung had hidden.
“The fucking bitch is hiding money now. You’ve gotten bold.”
A large palm struck repeatedly between Woojung’s cheek and ear. A beeeeep sound rang out, and he was thrown right under the bed.
“If you have money, you should pay it back quickly. Things like this happen because you’re holding onto something that’s not in your destiny.”
They did not care whether Woojung was rolling on the floor or not, and were about to grab the money and head for the door.
Woojung crawled on his knees and grabbed their pant legs.
“It’s not past today yet. I was going to deposit it in the evening… Ack!”
The large man kicked Woojung’s shoulder with his dress shoe. Woojung grabbed his ankle again.
“Mister, I’ll give you just one month’s worth.”
“Has this one finally lost it….”
The large man also kicked Woojung’s stomach again and again. Woojung curled his body into a ball and covered his head with his arms.
“With the money to go to university or whatever, fuck.”
He did not even feel the pain. Right now, not losing the money was more important.
“If you save up for 4 years, you can pay off the debt, why is this fucking bitch going through all this trouble. Ah, fuck… I really don’t get it. How did you get into university with a blockhead.”
Woojung was beaten for a long time before he blacked out and lost consciousness.
With his eyes closed, Woojung fell into a deep slumber.
He took a tilted journey as if riding a broken-down airship. To a sloping road, to the night sky, to the deep sea. Woojung woke up from his sleep feeling the moisture that was soaking his cheeks and ears. His unfocused eyes blinked slowly.
Why is there a damp, soaked smell. Am I still on the cruise?
Woojung, lying sideways, looked all around. The PET bottle he had placed on the bed had burst, and the water had soaked the floor. He also saw the bloated rolls of toilet paper. Most were soaked in water, and the remaining one had long since been stomped on by the loan shark’s dress shoe and ruined.
With a staggering arm, he placed his hand on the floor and raised his body. His body kept tilting, so he supported himself with his hand. A splashing sound came from the floor.
Right, I had come back home. I was looking for a part-time job. I was going to eat….
His mind suddenly cleared. Woojung first looked for the paper bag he had hidden under the desk. He saw the torn and tattered bag thrown in a corner of the room.
“Ah… no.”
He crawled on his knees and frantically looked inside. It was empty.
The water that had been soaking the floor welled up around his eyes. With trembling hands, he tightly clutched the empty bag. Did it go away easily because it was money earned easily? Still, it was money he had received from a proper part-time job.
For a long time, Woojung sat crouched on the floor, tapping his head, thump thump. Until his pale forehead turned red.
🌸
“Aigoo, how did my son attend school in a place like this. How is this a place for a person to live.”
“Ah, I’ll do it! Just leave it.”
“When I leave things to you, nothing gets done. What is this, really. You mean you attended a whole semester in a place like this?”
The loud noise from outside the door woke Woojung. It seemed he had fallen asleep while looking at the spinning floor.
“Go down and stay in the car. I just have to bring down one bag.”
“Mom can’t believe it, really. I thought my son was all grown up, but you’re still a baby. What am I to do with you.”
“Mom, please…. The walls here aren’t soundproof at all.”
Woojung did not look outside. Just as no one had looked into Woojung’s room during yesterday’s commotion, he also stayed quiet in his room.
Only after bickering for a while did the outside become quiet. Woojung moved his fingers and toes a little, and lifted his clothes to check the condition of his body. There were bruises all over, but this was on the okay side.
Lying with his back flat on the floor, he first looked for his cell phone. He had hoped for news of getting a part-time job, but he had not received a call from a single place.
‘I hope you do not regret that choice.’
Sa Gongjun’s voice, which had spoken clearly as if he had foreseen the future, seemed to be audible right in his ear. And the job he had proposed as well.
Desperation devoured his sense of shame. Woojung dialed Sa Gongjun’s phone number, which he had memorized from looking at it so many times.
— Yes.
“…….”
— I’m listening.
“…….”
— Speak.
It was very low, rough, and had a damp weight to it. The other party’s short word ‘yes’ was enough to convey his lethargy and fatigue. Woojung came to resent his own fingers for moving without a plan. He had not even said a proper goodbye when they parted, and he had ignored his proposal and turned his back on him.
“I….”
— Who is this, and how did you get this number.
“It’s Cheon Woojung. The one who worked as a cruise staff member.”
— A staff member, how would I know who….
The other person stopped talking. It was because Sa Gongjun had recognized whose trembling voice it was.
“About the job you mentioned back then. By any chance, is it still….”
— You.
“I was calling to ask if it’s possible….”
— What time is it that you’re calling. How rude.
There was no window or clock in Woojung’s room. Still, he could have known the time if he had looked at his cell phone. So much so that it made his long deliberation seem pointless, he had just called without even checking what time it was or if the other person was in a situation where he could receive a call.
It felt as if he could hear a creaking sound right from the start. As the silence continued, anxiety ambushed Woojung. Woojung took the cell phone that was pressed to his face away and checked the screen.
It’s not disconnected. Why isn’t he saying anything.
He wrapped his head with both arms and rubbed the tips of his toes as he waited for an answer. The voice of Sa Gongjun that finally came through was still low and subdued.
— When you call, state your business precisely. ‘Back then,’ ‘the job you mentioned,’ ‘by any chance’—what meaning do these words possibly have.
“…I’m sorry. You asked if I also do interpretation on the cruise, may I ask about that again.”
Sa Gongjun let out a short breath as if he were dumbfounded. An unwelcome sound followed behind it.
— I believe the time to think was until we arrived at Incheon Port.
“…….”
— I’ve found someone.
“Ah….”
— Why that reaction. Wasn’t it a fact that you yourself knew, that personnel of Mr. Cheon Woojung’s level are a dime a dozen and can be replaced by someone else at any time?
It was a plain voice that contained no emotion whatsoever. He did not know what to reply to Sa Gongjun, who was reciting the facts in an indifferent tone.
If I knew it would be like this, I should have just said I’d do it back then. But at that time, I thought I could just go out and find a part-time job, and I had no idea things would turn out this way….
“My apologies for the intrusion.”
I called for no reason.
“I’m truly sorry.”
It felt wrong to just hang up, so he said his goodbyes.
“I’ll be… going now. Good night.”
Around the middle, his parched voice came out, and he had to clear his throat once. He felt his face grow hot, as if he had been caught trying to spit out his words and run away without even remembering to catch his breath.
A faint hint of laughter from Sa Gongjun tickled Woojung’s ear. As if it were a sneer, but not quite. Sa Gongjun, who he thought would cut him off like cutting a rotten rope, spoke to Woojung.
— I never expected to receive such a greeting from someone who called unexpectedly and woke a sleeping person.
Woojung held back the tears that were about to fall, feeling pathetic about himself.
— Mr. Woojung.
“…Yes.”
Sa Gongjun called Woojung. At that sound, Woojung waited for him, feeling as if he were grasping at straws.
— Are you looking for a job?
“…Yes.”
— To call a guy like me out of the blue and beg, it seems your situation has finally gotten a bit frustrating.
“…….”
— A position can be made. Shall I give you one?
“Yes?”
Woojung wrapped his cell phone with both hands and shot up to a sitting position.
“Anything, I’ll do anything.”
— Anything?
Woojung was startled by his own voice. It was not much different from the voice Seo Dowon had used when he answered the phone in a do-re-mi-fa-sol, sol tone on the cruise someday. The tone that had suddenly gone up was unspeakably embarrassing. Woojung, who realized that fact, slowly, little by little, lowered his tone and continued to speak.
“Yes. I’m still a student, but I’m a student at Hankuk University….”
A low laugh spread from beyond the receiver.
— Something like that does not matter at all.
There was nothing more to say. Sa Gongjun was right. School, part-time job experience. The twenty-year-old Cheon Woojung was in a state where he only had utterly insignificant things to appeal to Sa Gongjun with.
“…I am a student, but….”
— Continue. You have to make me want to buy Mr. Cheon Woojung.
“…You probably know well since you heard me back then, but I’m confident in Filipino and English. I can translate everyday conversations without any trouble. If it’s work related to a company, business translation would be difficult since I haven’t done it before, but if you teach me….”
Sa Gongjun cut off Woojung’s long-winded words.
— The content is useless, but your voice isn’t bad. You also have a talent for stirring people up.
The clicking sound of a lighter came from over the phone.
— Where are you now.
“My room….”
Should I ask where you are?
A strange sound was heard in the ear of Woojung, who was contemplating. It was a sound as if something heavy was being dragged and sticking, much like the sound of skin rubbing against a leather sofa.
—Have you ever done it over the phone?
“A little.”
Actually, it was his first time doing simultaneous interpretation. Woojung lied because he was afraid he would be rejected if he said he had no experience. On the other hand, he also thought it was a good thing, wondering if the matter was so urgent that they would entrust him with the job right away, yet he had pretended it was not.
A short silence filled the space between Woojung and Sa Gongjun. Just as he flinched, wondering if he had been found out, Sa Gongjun rushed Woojung.
—What are you doing.
“…….”
—I’m asking what you’re doing after getting all dressed.
Without realizing it, Woojung swept the front of his sweatshirt with his palm. Then he looked up at the ceiling with just his eyes. Although it was stained here and there, the ceiling was clean. Next, he took the phone away from his ear and checked the screen. It was because he wondered if he had accidentally pressed the video call button.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
—…….
“If you could explain it just once, I’ll remember it well and….”
As Woojung trailed off, Sa Gongjun let out a breath tinged with annoyance.
—Now, stop with the upper mouth and just open the lower one.
“…Pardon?”
Woojung’s eyes widened at the words he could not have even imagined. No way. Woojung forgot what he was about to say and swallowed a dry gulp.
—I said, put your knees up and spread your legs.
“Sir, just a moment. By any chance.”
Ssk ssk, the sound of Sa Gongjun rubbing his skin was heard. If his ears were not mistaken, Sa Gongjun was surely about to masturbate using his voice as a side dish. He was careful not to show he was surprised, but a loud breath escaped him.
—Interesting. Did you think you were going to do something grand?
“I think there might be some misunderstanding. I, because you clearly said interpretation back then….”
—When did I?
“You did….”
—It’s no fun if you act like this, Mr. Cheon Woojung. It’s a situation where it wouldn’t be enough even if you came crawling on all fours, begging to be made pretty.
Sa Gongjun did things he had never heard of or seen before with perfect composure. Thanks to that, Woojung had to ponder for a long time whether he was the one being peculiar.
No matter how much he thought about it, that did not seem to be the case.
—The one who said he would do anything was Mr. Cheon Woojung. It was not me who begged or asked for a favor.
“…….”
—The kind of partner I need right now is someone who can moderately turn me on, and I just brought up the story because I thought Mr. Cheon Woojung’s voice could do that.
“But this is.”
—The world isn’t going to end just because you hold a phone and jerk off once, and if you don’t like it, you can just hang up, so stop arguing and choose what you’re going to do. As I said before, people who can replace Mr. Cheon Woojung are a dime a dozen, so I don’t want to spend time on this.
The heavily descending voice skimmed up between Woojung’s toes without a gap and seized his knees. As if possessed by something, Woojung sat down with his back against the bed. He spread his feet first and then brought his knees together and apart a few times. Then he spread them enough for a fist to fit through.
Sa Gongjun was right. In any case, it was not a situation where the other person was visible, nor were they people who would meet again, so it seemed he could turn a blind eye to a few minutes of deviation.
“…I did it.”
—Tell me what you did. As if you are explaining it to make it easy for me to picture Mr. Cheon Woojung.
Woojung nodded his head in the empty room.
“My knees…. I put them up and spread my legs too.”
—Clothes?
“Why my clothes.”
—Don’t you have to take off your clothes to touch your dick or poke your hole.
“…….”
—After you take them off, do as you please. Just don’t get excited and shove your fist in.
Woojung froze right where he was. Then he stared blankly at his own roundly raised knees. How can that person say such things so casually? The corners of Woojung’s eyes, who was having that thought, turned red.
—Did you already take them off, so you have nothing to say?
“…I’m wearing them.”
In Woojung’s opinion, Sa Gongjun was the type of person who would tell him to say what he was wearing too. Woojung, who glanced down, felt his face flare up. On a light blue background, with a yellow teddy bear drawn on it,
“…Pajama pants.”
—…Pajama pants?
Woojung was startled awake by Sa Gongjun’s voice. It was closer to him muttering to himself than saying something in expectation of a conversation, so he had not expected him to show a reaction in the slightest. As he was contemplating what to say, his mouth moved first.
“It’s clothing you wear when you sleep….”
Woojung, who raised one arm to cover his eyes, continued speaking haltingly.
“It’s incredibly… soft and warm, so once you wear it, it’s the kind of clothing you want to keep wearing.”
An adult man’s room, his gown, and the faint scent of his body that he had felt there brushed past Woojung. And even the muscles that flowed like waves, which he had secretly peeked at.
Those were things that were very much the opposite of Woojung’s goshiwon cubicle now, his attire, and the pheromones of Woojung that filled this place.
—I want to wear them too. So incredibly soft and warm that, once you wear them, they are the kind of clothing you want to keep wearing.
It seemed languid, and it seemed as if he had lost strength. It was the softest of Sa Gongjun’s voices that Woojung had heard.
Is Sa Gongjun interested in pajama pants? Since it was an item that was hard to see unless you wandered the streets, it could be a curiosity shown towards an item he was hearing about for the first time. Woojung felt an unknown courage from the fact that he was not facing him.
“…If you entrust me with the job, I’ll give them to you as a gift.”
—If you were trying to make a trivial and insignificant proposal, then you succeeded, and if you were asking to be entrusted with a job, then you failed. Just keep that mouth shut and moderately keep pace; that’s the job Mr. Cheon Woojung is in charge of today, so focus on what you’re told to do.
“…….”
—So, is it the front or the back?
“The front… I think. Probably.”
He answered Sa Gongjun’s question haltingly like a fool. And he checked his surroundings several times. Even though it was a room that was completely blocked off on all sides, there was an unpleasant chill, as if someone were watching.
—Now stop being frustrating and just touch your dick.
Woojung, who had been hesitating, put the hand he had let hang on the floor inside his sweatshirt. Cold fingers covered his warm stomach. Woojung only caressed his innocent side and the area around his ribs. Even so, the hand holding the phone was trembling too much. So was the sound of his breathing.
Sa Gongjun, who had been bestowing humiliation with words for a while, also did not say anything more after Woojung’s breathing became ragged.
—Haa….
He sat crumpled in a corner of the bed and waited blindly. Listening to the moans that would not easily subside, he quietly hugged his knees. As he listened to Sa Gongjun’s low and humid breaths, it felt like he was eavesdropping on some lewdly filmed porn video, and the back of his head grew hot.
He squeezed his eyes shut. He thought his thoughts would scatter, but it was the opposite. In his pitch-black vision, amidst the shimmering dots, that day kept coming to mind. The time when Sa Gongjun had grabbed and shaken his chest, fumbled with his groin, and swept up from below.
A deep moan burst from Sa Gongjun’s mouth.
Startled, Woojung moved the phone far away from his ear. The person on the other side of the phone let out rough breaths as if the situation did not concern him, making Woojung urgently press the volume control button, tap tap tap. There was no one watching, but he was so embarrassed. It was unlikely, but he was also scared that someone might hear.
—Mr. Cheon Woojung, what is your secondary gender?
He was caught off guard by the languidly relaxed voice, his breath hitched for a beat. Thump, it felt as if his heart was dropping. Woojung clenched his fists tightly and said clearly.
“Beta.”
—…Is that so?
His back felt a chill at the questioning sound. Was there a mistake during the times we met?
There was only one moment that raised suspicion. The day he had gone for room service and encountered the lingering scent of his pheromones.
‘You smell good.’
He flinched, startled by the voice that flashed through his mind. He was briefly flustered, but he shook his head and shook off the thought. Calm down. The possibility that his pheromones had leaked out on their own was small. Even if such a thing had happened, it was not as if Sa Gongjun were right next to him now, so he did not want to needlessly reveal the truth and give him an excuse to find fault.
“Yes.”
His breath caught in his throat. He was certain that if they had been facing each other, he would not have been able to hide his current feelings.
After a long while, the sound of a tissue being pulled was heard. Following that, the sound of skin that had been sticking to a leather sofa peeling off was also heard. Woojung was listening to that sound blankly. It felt unreal, as if he were still dreaming. Sa Gongjun spoke to Woojung casually.
—Tell me your account number.
“…….”
—I’ll pay the price, so tell me the account number to receive the money.
Woojung’s face and neck gradually turned red.
—What are you doing.
He took the phone that was stuck to his cheek away and stared blankly at his own knees. His mind snapped back as if he had been hit over the head with something. What have I done? His lips trembled.
—I’m tired, so hurry up and….
Click. He hung up the phone. The call-ended notification message flickered, and the screen turned pitch black. Terrified, Woojung turned the phone over with his fingertips. Unbelievably, the call came back. Flustered, Woojung pressed the call rejection button and also turned off the power button.
He threw the phone to a corner of the bed and buried his head in the corner between the bed’s headboard and the wall. Creak, creak. The mattress, trapped in the windowless goshiwon cubicle, let out a hair-raising sound. From what he had briefly checked before turning off the phone, the time was now 3 in the morning.
🌸
The next day, Woojung shot up from his spot without any sunlight to brighten his bedside or an alarm.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he took underwear and soap from his drawer and went to the shared shower room. The prime spot by the window shelf, where you could place your things and use it, had already been claimed by someone.
Woojung stood in the cold water in the corner on the complete opposite side. It was the middle of winter, but he had no time to feel the cold. He just stood still until the ice-cold water had swept over his body, passed over the dirty floor, and gone down the drain.
He did not remember in what state of mind he had finished showering. Woojung, who had barely returned to his room, was drying his hair with a hairdryer while stealthily turning on his phone with one hand.
3 missed calls. They were traces left by Sa Gongjun. After that, it was clean, with no messages or calls.
A single mistake. To erase that trace, Woojung moved more desperately than ever before. He searched for part-time jobs until his eyes were bloodshot. He applied to every new part-time job posting without exception and did not hesitate to apply to places far from his neighborhood. Tomorrow at dawn, he was also planning to revisit the construction site manpower office where he had been brutally rejected.
Just then, a message came in.
Seo Dowon: Hey hey hey
Seo Dowon: Woojung!
It was Seo Dowon.
yeah
Seo Dowon: they’re recruiting staff here
The cruise?
In a purely relative sense, he thought it was much better to work on the cruise than for Sa Gongjun. Woojung’s eyes, more urgent and desperate than ever before, sparkled.
Seo Dowon: yeah the manager seems to have a good impression of you he said to try applying if you’re interested
Seo Dowon: go on the website
i’ll go now just a sec
Woojung entered the part-time job website he had been visiting until it was worn out for the past few days. A job posting banner that he definitely had not seen just a moment ago was glittering.
<Hiring Full-Time Cruise Employees / 3,000,000 Won a Month / Severance Pay Included>
oh, i saw it. this is it, right?
[Photo]
Seo Dowon: yeah yeah there are some vacancies on the China route so they’re filling those staff positions
Seo Dowon: we might be able to work together
Seo Dowon: you’re going to apply, right?
Woojung held his phone tightly with both hands and rolled around and around on the bed.
Seo Dowon kept fueling his excitement through the messenger.
An annual salary of 36 million won.
A place where you could actually earn even more money.
His grip on the phone tightened. Woojung, who had been continuously rubbing the edge of his phone with his fingertips, made a resolute expression.
Let’s take just one year off from school and earn money.
Rather than attending school struggling like now, rather than living while worrying about tomorrow, it was a better choice in many ways to save money there, come out, go back to school, and get a good job at a company.
Besides, the work on the cruise was not difficult, so he thought it would be fine if he just kept his wits about him.
His inner thoughts, which had been going back and forth all this time, rolled to one side and settled into place. As someone had said, he was not in a position to be picky about this and that while looking for money. Yesterday’s deviation was telling him so.
yeah i’ll do it now
Seo Dowon: Yeeeeeeesssss
Seo Dowon: i should tell the staff dorm manager beforehand to put your room somewhere close to mine
hey… i haven’t even applied yet
Seo Dowon: it’s a guaranteed pass even without looking the manager even mentioned it himself
Seo Dowon: and there’s no reason to reject you
Lately, he had been rejected dozens of times, so he had no confidence at all. After experiencing a series of setbacks over even the most trivial things, the words that the manager seemed to have a good impression of him just felt like something said out of courtesy.
still you never know a part-timer and a full-time employee are very different….
Seo Dowon: anyway you frustrating guyyyy
if i pass i’ll buy you something delicious
Seo Dowon: for real, i’ll be waiting ୧ʕ•̀ᴥ•́ʔ୨
but don’t wait too long if i fail i’ll buy it for you outside….
so frustrating…. then i should be the one to buy it you idiot
It was as if he could hear Seo Dowon’s voice barking from the text. Thanks to him, Woojung even let out a short laugh.
Woojung clicked the apply button.
Below it were the many applications he had recently submitted and been rejected for. Please, let me pass this time. For a moment, Woojung put his hands together and conveyed his heart to a place he did not know.
Was it perhaps thanks to Seo Dowon’s excessive cheering? Once the burden was slightly lifted, he remembered the crazy thing he had done at dawn.
If I knew it would be like this, I should have held out for just one more day.
No, I should have endured for just a few more hours.
Woojung buried his head in his pillow and screamed.
Thump thump, the sound of someone knocking on the wall came from the next room. He could hear voices from both rooms berating him, but he could not stay still. Sa Gongjun’s breathing kept floating around in his mind.
🌸
He did not know how many times he had refreshed the page to check for his document screening results over the past few days. Even while working a daily part-time job, he would secretly look at his phone several times. It was in case a call came and he happened to miss it.
During the long moments of waiting, several crises came and went. After one interview and a physical examination, Woojung safely received his final acceptance notification. Only then did a faint smile appear on his clear and neat face.
—It did not seem like a completely honest job, but anyway—Woojung decided to earn money honestly by working a part-time job again.
That was what Woojung thought.